Jamie Lee Curtis And Colin Farrell Reflect On ‘Redemption’ And Their Sobriety Journeys
By Movieguide® Contributor
Veteran actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Colin Farrell recently sat down for a Variety Actors on Actors discussion, where they talked about movies, their careers, and how grateful they are for their sobriety.
Curtis, who starred in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, drew parallels between her movie and Farrell’s — he appeared in this year’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN.
The actress spoke of the themes of “redemption” and “healing” in both movies. Farrell echoed her comments, saying, “The only two things I know as certainties are, we’re going to die and we’re going to make serious mistakes. Whether we atone for our mistakes [is up to us].”
Curtis then asked Farrell about his sobriety journey and the lessons he learned.
“I had no ability to hold that without being self-destructive and without living in it,” Farrell shared. “I don’t live in that now. I feel these things that we’re talking about, at times. And I consider life greatly at times. And other times, I’m as frivolous as I was when I was 6 years old on a good day.”
Later in the conversation, he asked Curtis about her legacy. She replied with thoughts about her own sobriety.
“Being sober is going to be a legacy, for sure,” she explained. “Because I’m stopping what has been a generational issue in my biological family. It’ll be the single greatest thing I do, if I can stay sober. Because generations of people have had their lives ruled and ruined by alcoholism and drug addiction. For me, sobriety first. Always.”
Curtis went on to say that the “gift” of her sobriety taught her that “the rules apply to you just like they apply to other people. That’s what legacy is: making friends and loving your people really well.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Curtis’ sobriety journey:
Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis, most recently seen in KNIVES OUT, reflected on her journey from addiction to sobriety.
Curtis took to Instagram to share about her past battle with alcohol and addiction.
“A LONG time ago… In a galaxy far, far away… I was a young STAR at WAR with herself,” Curtis wrotebeneath an image of herself holding alcohol. “I didn’t know it then. I chased everything. I kept it hidden. I was [as] sick as my secrets.”
However, Curtis credited God and supportive friends for her freedom from addiction.
“With God’s grace and the support of MANY people who could relate to all the ‘feelings’ and a couple of sober angels… I’ve been able to stay sober, one day at a time, for 22 years,” Curtis continued. “I was a high bottom, pun kind of intended, so the rare photo of me proudly drinking in a photo op is very useful to help me remember. To all those struggling and those who are on the path…MY HAND IN YOURS.”
In 2019, Curtis opened up about her life as an addict in Variety’s “The Recovery Issue.”
Curtis said her addiction to painkillers began in her 20s after she was prescribed Vicodin post-cosmetic surgery. However, Curtis said someone found out after she took five pills with her wine.
“The jig was up,” Curtis said. “Now I knew someone knew. I had been nursing a secret Vicodin addiction for a very long time — over 10 years.”
Curtis attended her first recovery meeting in February 1999.
“I was terrified [of being recognized]. I was just terrified that someone in the recovery community was going to betray my trust,” Curtis confessed. “But it is my experience that that doesn’t really happen and that my fear was unfounded.”
Despite the nature of Curtis’s career as an actress, she is diligent in maintaining her sobriety.
“I bring sobriety with me,” Curtis said. “I have attended recovery meetings all over this world.”
Curtis added: “I was probably about nine months sober when I made ‘Freaky Friday’ [in 2002]. I put a big sign up by the catering truck, and it said, ‘Recovery meeting in Jamie’s trailer every day.’ I left the door open and didn’t know if anybody would show up. We ended up calling it the Mobile Home Recovery Meeting. It was probably my favorite grouping of sobriety that I’ve ever participated in.”
Watch Curtis and Farrell’s full conversation here:
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